The terms COP and SCOP are often used when talking about heat pumps and so we thought we would take a moment to explain exactly what they mean and why they are important.
In simple terms, the coefficient of performance (COP) of a heat pump compares the energy coming out to the energy going in A COP of 4 shows that for every 1kw of electricity your heat pump uses, will output 4kw of heat to warm your home or hot water.
The seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) refers to the seasonal average. Given our varied British weather, SCOP is important because COP may only show the best-case scenario. For example, an air source heat pump running on a mild day outputting low heat to a well-insulated home would show a COP of 5 or more but when winter temperatures plummet, it may show 2.5.
SCOP is a rating that makes a clearer and more fair comparison for homeowners. Before when just the COP was given, some heat pumps were mis-sold. With today’s current high electricity prices, it is sometimes not cost effective to install a heat pump and we want to be transparent about this to our customers. A heat pump is not right for every home or business.
The design. Understanding the relationship between insulation, heat loss of the building, pipe and emitter sizing all enable a low temperature system design.
Our team are experts in COP and SCOP. More information here.
For more information about heat pumps and how they can benefit your home or business please give us a call at our office in Sussex or make a request online via our enquiry form.
There’s a lot to think about, so we’ve tried to simplify things and answer some of your initial questions.
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